Acts of editing image data, synthesizing a plurality of images, and synthesizing image information and character information and thereafter printing the information onto a printing medium are presently carried out by general users. Printing of greeting cards, printing of diverse labels, etc., can be cited as examples. A personal computer is generally used to edit the image data.
There has been proposed a related art printing apparatus, having an external storage medium slot, where the related art printing apparatus is capable of reading and printing image data from the external storage medium. However, such a system is presently not capable of performing image editing tasks. It would be advantageous to implement a system, using only a printing apparatus to perform image editing and printing, i.e., without the need for connecting to a personal computer. In such a system, if key input operations, mouse operations, etc., are avoided as much as possible, an impression that the system is easy to use for customer groups having a latent distaste for operations unique to digital technologies can be enhanced and convenience can be improved.
Japanese Patent Application No. JP-A-2005-244736 describes a related art system, with which a user enters printing conditions in a printed order sheet that is separate from the image to be printed and describes generally the conditions of the printing, the order sheet is read by a scanner, and a synthesized image is printed according to the designated conditions.